Sunday, 6 January 2013

'Now lords and ladies in rich array, lift up your hearts upon this day'

Be merry, all that be present:Omnes de Saba venient.

1. Out of the east a star shone bright,
For to show three kinges light,
Who had far travelled by day and night
To seek that Lord that all hath sent.

2. Thereof heard King Herod anon,
That three kings should come through his region,
To seek a child that peer had none,
And after them soon he sent.

3. King Herod cried to them on high,
‘Ye go to seek a child truly;
Go forth and come again me by,
And tell me where that he is lent.’ [laid]

4. Forth they went by the star's gleam,
Till they came to merry Bethlehem;
There they found that sweet barn-teme, [infant]
That since for us his blood hath spent.

5. Balthasar kneeled first adown
And said: 'Hail, King, most of renown!
And of all kings thou bearest the crown;
Therefore with gold I thee present.’

6. Melchoir kneeled down in that stede [place]
And said, ‘Hail, Lord, in thy priesthood!
Receive incense for thy manhood,
I bring it with a good entent.’

7. Jasper kneeled down in that stede
And said, ‘Hail, Lord, in thy knighthood,
I offer thee myrrh to thy Godhead,
For thou art he that all hath sent.’

8. Now lords and ladies in rich array,
Lift up your hearts upon this day,
And ever to God let us pray,
That on the rood was rent.

This carol is from the sixteenth-century manuscript Balliol College, Oxford MS. 354 (the commonplace book of Richard Hill); the burden, 'Omnes de Saba venient' comes from a Versicle in Vespers for the Eve of Epiphany.

Be mery, all that be present:Omnes de Saba venient.

1. Owt of the est a sterre shon bright,
For to shew thre kinges light,
Which had ferre traveled by day and nyght
To seke that Lord that all hath sent.

2. Thereof hard King Herode anon,
That iii kynges shuld cum thorow his regyon,
To seke a child that pere had non,
And after them sone he sent.

3. Kyng Herode cried to them on hye,
‘Ye go to seke a child truly;
Go forth and cum agayn me by,
And tell me wher that he is lent.’

4. Forth they went by the sterres leme,
Till they com to mery Bethlehem;
There they fond that swet barn-teme,
That sith for vs his blode hath spent.

5. Balthasar kneled first adown
And said: ‘Hayll, Kyng, most of renown!
And of all kynges thou berist the crown;
Therefor with gold I the present.’

6. Melchoir kneled down in that stede
And said, ‘Hayll, Lord, in thy pryesthede!
Receyve encence to thy manhede,
I brynge it with a good entent.’

7. Jasper kneled down in that stede
And said, ‘Hayll, Lord, in thy knyghthede,
I offer the myrre to thy Godhede,
For thow art he that all hath sent.’

8. Now lords and ladys in riche aray,
Lyfte vp your hartes vpon this day,
And ever to God lett vs pray,
That on the rode was rent.

3 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I happened upon your blog just before Christmas and been entranced by your varied and erudite posts.I also find myself rather maudlin at the year's end. Possibly this is due in part to a period of enforced quiescence following our very modest Christmas celebrations.I sympathise with your comments regarding Academia. My husband is an academic at Liverpool University, where success is increasingly measured by the amount of money one can attract to the university. It is becoming a place of business rather than an institution of learning and discovery.You imply that you feel eclipsed by others who can do as well as you, or at least are prepared to proclaim as much. It put me in mind of the finale to George Eliot's wonderful Middlemarch. Writing of the heroine, Dorothea she says:"Dorothea herself had no dreams of being praised above other women, feeling there was always something better which she might have done, if she had only been better and known better....Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive:for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs"It can feel good to be a small part of that wonderful, hidden continuity.

How strange - I was just thinking of that passage from Middlemarch today, about the 'hidden life' and unvisited tombs. But I had forgotten the rest of it, about Dorothea, and thank you very much for reminding me.

Also (I hit publish too soon!) I'm sorry to hear about your husband's experience - it seems to be a common one, and it's a shame to see so many talented academics frustrated in that way. I hope your husband is able to take joy from his work nonetheless!